<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

The bay’s fishing for kingfish, croakers and weakfish somewhat improved from 20-Foot Slough to the Punk Grounds and off the number 1 buoy and the E.P. Tower, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. The ends of tides, either incoming or outgoing, fished best for them, until slack tides began. Not much was heard about summer flounder. Sharon had planned to fish for flounder on the ocean Wednesday, but rough seas nixed that. Anglers said they didn’t catch many flounder at ocean reefs during the weekend. As waters cool this coming season, flounder should begin to stack up at the reefs, maybe after another week or two. They’ll head offshore for winter. Striped bass were sometimes bagged on the bay at lighthouses at night. Those were resident, non-migrating stripers that swim the area all season, and bunker is a popular bait to catch them.  White perch fishing was good in brackish rivers like the Maurice. Crabbing was fairly good, and many customers bought supplies for crabbing. Baits stocked include minnows and bloodworms. Shedder crabs will probably be available until mid-September.  The Girls Place, located on Route 47, just after Route 55 ends, carries a large supply of bait and tackle, and is the long, one-story, yellow building on the right. It’s on the way to the bay.

<b>Money Island</b>

A few summer flounder bagged from the bay were seen this weekend at <b>Money Island Marina</b>, Bruce said. A couple were docked Monday morning, too. Fishing for white perch and croakers from the docks was slower than previously. A new family fishing dock is being installed at the marina. The angling from the shop’s docks has been popular and productive this season. Enjoy a chicken barbecue that the marina will host this Sunday for Labor Day weekend. Fish, and be fed! The marina is being readied for autumn, the busiest fishing season, the store’s Facebook page said. Flounder should stick around in the bay until late September. Migrating striped bass can show up by mid-October. A few boat slips are available for fall stripers. The marina will be open until mid-December, if weather cooperates. The marina features a boat ramp, boat slips, dry-dock boat storage, gas, bait and a few items of tackle. Bait stocked currently usually includes minnows and frozen bait, like spearing and mackerel. Live grass shrimp are usually carried on weekends. A bushel of fresh bunker is normally kept on ice on weekends to sell. A 12-foot aluminum boat with a 6 h.p. outboard is available to rent to fish the creek. The rate is $40 for 3 hours and $80 for a full day.

<b>Newport</b>

Crabs were shedding and mating this weekend during the full moon, said Paul from <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>. Were they? he was asked. Oh, heck yeah, he said. Shedding and mating can slow crabbing, because the blueclaws won’t eat then. But not all crabs shed and mate at once. Full and new moons can trigger shedding and mating. Most rental boats this weekend returned with one to two dozen keepers. Some trapped a half-bushel apiece. The keepers were good-sized, and crabs caught were mostly either 3-1/2-inch throwbacks or 5-1/2-inch keepers, and few were borderline. Many crabs seemed to skitter around Delaware Bay. Commercial trappers seemed to fare well on them, because crab prices were down. The number in the bay could bode well for crabbing from the shop. When water begins to cool, many crabs will retreat to creeks, like Oranokin Creek, from the bay, for warmth. Customers crab and fish on Oranokin, running past the shop. Novice crabbers often caught better than the experienced from the shop the past couple of weekends. That’s because novices tended to listen to the shop’s advice. Crabs currently keyed-in on certain baits, like chicken, bunker or squid, at different times. On one day, crabs even preferred chicken for part of the day, bunker for another, and squid for another. Experienced crabbers sometimes resist advice like what bait to use. Paul tells them that the shop’s crew are pollsters, interviewing customers about how they caught. The store keeps a diary of catches, and the crabbing was better this year than last.  Customers who fished tied into some sizable white perch and a few small croakers. One angler totaled 16 good-sized perch, tossing back smaller ones. Perch definitely swam the creek. Small striped bass roamed the creek, and a few larger were seen along the docks.  The rental boats are now available every Saturday and Sunday. They’ll also be available this Monday for Labor Day. The boats were available daily previously, the usual schedule each year. Rental kayaks and canoes are available to paddle the scenic creek on the same days as the boats. Reserve all the vessels ahead of time, because they can book up. The store is open daily for supplies, though. Beaver Dam carries everything needed for crabbing, from bait, traps and nets to snacks, drinks and suntan lotion. Beaver Dam hosts groups like scouts and family reunions, and can provide an educational day about the environment. Visit <a href=" http://www.crabulousnj.com/Home_Page.php" target="_blank">Beaver Dam’s website</a>.

<b>Cape May</b>

Customers mostly fish Delaware Bay in fall for striped bass, said Joe from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. So nothing was heard about the bay’s summer flounder fishing. Currently, customers mostly fish the ocean and the back bay. But a few kingfish, small bluefish and croakers, not a lot, but big, were scattered around jetties in the surf around Cape May Point. The point is at the confluence of the bay and the ocean, so those fish popped up in both the ocean and the bay in town, along the shore. Sharpies landed a few striped bass, sometimes keepers, along the jetties at night on Mag Darters. A few spots reportedly appeared in the surf. Lots of bait filled the back bay and creeks, including peanut bunker, spearing and mullet.

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